him, and I feel like I’m using him, even if he doesn’t see it that way. I’ve been trying to earn my keep. I redecorated, and I’ve been cooking meals when he’s here.”
Izzy’s eyebrows shot up, but she made no comments on the décor.
“We have a room over the garage. It’s not much, but it has a separate entrance, a full bath, and a tiny kitchen.”
Bella laughed. “As long as it has a microwave.”
“Think about it.”
“Let me talk to Ced. I’m sure he’ll be glad to have me out from underfoot, especially when he sees our new roommate.” Bella patted Rumble’s head and received a growl in response.
“Not a fan of dogs, is he?”
“I don’t think he’s an animal person.”
Izzy shook her head. “What kind of person is he? He’s an enigma to me, yet he’s Cooper’s best friend, so that fact alone says something.”
“We’ve never spent much time talking—mostly we fucked like bunnies. Now when he’s home, he watches sports, and I read or go online.” Or wrote. Lately Bella had been typing away on her laptop, a random story that had stuck in her head. She’d always written, even as a child though it’d been her secret garden and something she’d never shared with her sisters.
Izzy rolled her eyes. “I need your help next week with a party. It’s a relatively safe one at the Emerald Ballroom, a wedding reception for an older gay couple.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.”
“I’ll accept that. I’m not a shrink, and I won’t pretend to be, but Cooper and I have worked with one regarding Riley, and I believe that the sooner life returns to a new normal, the better, once you’ve given yourself time to recover from the trauma.”
Riley had essentially shown up on Cooper’s doorstep over a year ago. The son of Cooper’s older sister, Riley had been abandoned by his drug-addict mother and had turned to Cooper for help. Izzy and Coop had since adopted him. He’d been witness to a school shooting last fall and watched several friends shot down in front of his eyes. Bella almost felt ashamed at how far Riley had come and how much he’d fought to regain normalcy. The two shooters had been teammates of his, and they’d targeted other teammates and popular kids for reasons no one would ever know.
“Bells, Riley’s mental health therapist is very good. She specializes in recovery from traumatic events. Why don’t I see if she can fit you in her schedule?”
“I’ll think about it,” Bella conceded. She did not want to see a therapist. It was another sign of weakness, and she’d pull through on her own, damn it.
Izzy frowned, skepticism written all over her face. “If you want her number—”
“I’ll ask you.”
Izzy rose. “I have to get back. Riley should be home any minute. He went to a friend’s house to study.”
“Would that friend happen to be Tiff?” Everyone knew Riley had a huge crush on Tiffany, a cute girl in his class who was also recovering from the trauma of the shooting and not doing nearly as well as Riley. In one of those small-world cases, Tiffany boarded her horse and took lessons out of the same barn as their sister Avery.
“No, not yet. They’re as bad as you and Cedric when it comes to denying the attraction when everyone knows they’ll end up together. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Is that what you think about Cedric and me?”
Izzy snorted. “Absolutely. You two are fated to be together.”
Fated ? Bella wouldn’t go that far. She turned away, hiding her face from her sister. When it came to Cedric, her feelings were jumbled and confusing. She didn’t have a clue what she wanted from him other than a shelter from a storm. In fact, since she’d known him, she’d run to him whenever she needed not just hot sex but a shelter from her life’s storms, even though she hadn’t recognized her weakness until now.
She’d always considered herself the strong sister, but now she realized it’d been smoke and
Izzy’s eyebrows shot up, but she made no comments on the décor.
“We have a room over the garage. It’s not much, but it has a separate entrance, a full bath, and a tiny kitchen.”
Bella laughed. “As long as it has a microwave.”
“Think about it.”
“Let me talk to Ced. I’m sure he’ll be glad to have me out from underfoot, especially when he sees our new roommate.” Bella patted Rumble’s head and received a growl in response.
“Not a fan of dogs, is he?”
“I don’t think he’s an animal person.”
Izzy shook her head. “What kind of person is he? He’s an enigma to me, yet he’s Cooper’s best friend, so that fact alone says something.”
“We’ve never spent much time talking—mostly we fucked like bunnies. Now when he’s home, he watches sports, and I read or go online.” Or wrote. Lately Bella had been typing away on her laptop, a random story that had stuck in her head. She’d always written, even as a child though it’d been her secret garden and something she’d never shared with her sisters.
Izzy rolled her eyes. “I need your help next week with a party. It’s a relatively safe one at the Emerald Ballroom, a wedding reception for an older gay couple.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.”
“I’ll accept that. I’m not a shrink, and I won’t pretend to be, but Cooper and I have worked with one regarding Riley, and I believe that the sooner life returns to a new normal, the better, once you’ve given yourself time to recover from the trauma.”
Riley had essentially shown up on Cooper’s doorstep over a year ago. The son of Cooper’s older sister, Riley had been abandoned by his drug-addict mother and had turned to Cooper for help. Izzy and Coop had since adopted him. He’d been witness to a school shooting last fall and watched several friends shot down in front of his eyes. Bella almost felt ashamed at how far Riley had come and how much he’d fought to regain normalcy. The two shooters had been teammates of his, and they’d targeted other teammates and popular kids for reasons no one would ever know.
“Bells, Riley’s mental health therapist is very good. She specializes in recovery from traumatic events. Why don’t I see if she can fit you in her schedule?”
“I’ll think about it,” Bella conceded. She did not want to see a therapist. It was another sign of weakness, and she’d pull through on her own, damn it.
Izzy frowned, skepticism written all over her face. “If you want her number—”
“I’ll ask you.”
Izzy rose. “I have to get back. Riley should be home any minute. He went to a friend’s house to study.”
“Would that friend happen to be Tiff?” Everyone knew Riley had a huge crush on Tiffany, a cute girl in his class who was also recovering from the trauma of the shooting and not doing nearly as well as Riley. In one of those small-world cases, Tiffany boarded her horse and took lessons out of the same barn as their sister Avery.
“No, not yet. They’re as bad as you and Cedric when it comes to denying the attraction when everyone knows they’ll end up together. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Is that what you think about Cedric and me?”
Izzy snorted. “Absolutely. You two are fated to be together.”
Fated ? Bella wouldn’t go that far. She turned away, hiding her face from her sister. When it came to Cedric, her feelings were jumbled and confusing. She didn’t have a clue what she wanted from him other than a shelter from a storm. In fact, since she’d known him, she’d run to him whenever she needed not just hot sex but a shelter from her life’s storms, even though she hadn’t recognized her weakness until now.
She’d always considered herself the strong sister, but now she realized it’d been smoke and
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